Drug deliveryhttps://sciencebusiness.net/categories/drug-delivery
enSeraNovo awarded an EIT Health Headstart grant to solve the insolublehttps://sciencebusiness.net/network-news/seranovo-awarded-eit-health-headstart-grant-solve-insoluble
<span property="schema:name" class="field-wrapper">SeraNovo awarded an EIT Health Headstart grant to solve the insoluble</span>
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<span class="field-item"><a href="https://sciencebusiness.net/author/press-release" hreflang="en"> Press release</a></span></div>
<span class="field-wrapper" rel="schema:author"><span lang="" about="https://sciencebusiness.net/user/9" typeof="schema:Person" property="schema:name" datatype="" xml:lang="">Florin</span></span>
<span property="schema:dateCreated" content="2019-02-18T14:35:02+00:00" class="field-wrapper">18 Feb 2019</span>
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<div property="schema:text" class="field-item"><p>If drugs do not dissolve well, they cannot be absorbed by the person taking them, but with EIT Health Headstart support, SeraNovo is working on an innovation to improve drug solubility.</p>
<p>SeraNovo is developing a technology to solve the problem of poor drug solubility that is prevalent in the pharmaceutical industry. A trend of decreasing solubility has been visible for some time, leading to a large amount of promising medicines never making it to patients. SeraNovo’s technology can solve this problem. With the EIT Health 2019 Headstart grant SeraNovo will solidify their promising in vivo proof of efficacy results, showcasing their liquid formulation technology that can greatly increase the bioavailability of poorly soluble small molecules when orally administered.</p>
<p>The technology is based on new generation solvents, the combination of 2 or more components that form a stable liquid at room temperature. These liquids are highly tunable, making it possible to design them specifically for a certain medication, leading to very high solubility and stability for a specific drug. The grant of EIT Health allows SeraNovo to develop a showcase of one of these drugs and prove the efficacy in an in vivo model, building on previous results that showed a 230% increase in bioavailability relative to the commercial formulation.</p>
<p>Bastiaan Kluft, CSO of SeraNovo says “Building up a showcase for our technology is crucial for both our own understanding of the technology and for our future customers. The interest in our technology so far has vastly exceeded our expectations, with the help of EIT Health we can accelerate our development and rapidly generate this crucial piece of the showcase”. SeraNovo expects to market their technology as a service this year.</p>
<p><em>This release was <a href="https://www.eithealth.eu/-/seranovo-awarded-an-eit-health-headstart-grant-to-solve-the-insoluble">first published</a> 7 February 2019 by EIT Health.</em></p></div>
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Mon, 18 Feb 2019 14:35:02 +0000Florin51335 at https://sciencebusiness.netUCL agrees collaboration with drug delivery specialist PolyThericshttps://sciencebusiness.net/news/67778/UCL-agrees-collaboration-with-drug-delivery-specialist-PolyTherics
<span property="schema:name" class="field-wrapper">UCL agrees collaboration with drug delivery specialist PolyTherics</span>
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<span class="field-item"><a href="https://sciencebusiness.net/author/sciencebusiness-reporting" hreflang="en">Science|Business reporting</a></span></div>
<span class="field-wrapper" rel="schema:author"><span lang="" typeof="schema:Person" property="schema:name" datatype="" xml:lang="">Anonymous</span></span>
<span property="schema:dateCreated" content="2010-09-29T19:00:00+00:00" class="field-wrapper">29 Sep 2010</span>
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<div property="schema:text" class="field-item"><p style="font-weight: bold;">PolyTherics Ltd, which specialises in engineering protein-based drugs to improve delivery, has set up a collaboration with Anisur Rahman at UCL, in which the company will use its proprietary site-specific PEGylation to develop a treatment for antiphospholipid syndrome. Rahman has been awarded a 5-year grant of nearly £700,000 from the charity Arthritis Research UK to support the work.</p><p>Antiphospholipid syndrome (APS), also known as ‘sticky blood’ syndrome, is an autoimmune disease that particularly affects young people and causes blood clots, strokes or recurrent miscarriages. It occurs more commonly in patients with autoimmune rheumatic diseases such as systemic lupus erythematosus. Patients with APS have antibodies to their own phospholipid, which bind to phospholipid-protein complexes in the body. This is thought to trigger changes that affect blood clotting. </p><p>Rahman and the UCL team have developed proteins that block the binding of anti-phospholipid antibodies to phospholipid-protein complexes in the bloodstream. The next step is to improve the characteristics of these proteins so that they circulate in the body for longer whilst retaining their ability to block this binding. </p><p>PolyTherics’ proprietary site-specific PEGylation technology is designed to achieve this and its scientists will work with the UCL team to produce PEGylated versions of the proteins, which will then be tested by Rahman’s group. </p><p>Keith Powell, CEO of PolyTherics, said, “The challenge for many potential protein-based treatments is getting them to remain in the body long enough to have a therapeutic effect. We are excited to be working with Professor Rahman to achieve this for a much-needed treatment for this serious but still under-diagnosed condition.”</p></div>
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Wed, 29 Sep 2010 19:00:00 +0000Anonymous43394 at https://sciencebusiness.netQ Chip raises &pound;2M for sustained release drug delivery technologyhttps://sciencebusiness.net/news/67823/Q-Chip-raises-%26pound%3B2M-for-sustained-release-drug-delivery-technology
<span property="schema:name" class="field-wrapper">Q Chip raises &pound;2M for sustained release drug delivery technology</span>
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<span class="field-item"><a href="https://sciencebusiness.net/author/sciencebusiness-reporting" hreflang="en">Science|Business reporting</a></span></div>
<span class="field-wrapper" rel="schema:author"><span lang="" typeof="schema:Person" property="schema:name" datatype="" xml:lang="">Anonymous</span></span>
<span property="schema:dateCreated" content="2010-09-15T19:00:00+00:00" class="field-wrapper">15 Sep 2010</span>
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<div property="schema:text" class="field-item"><h4 style="color: rgb(255, 165, 0);">Funding</h4><p style="font-weight: bold;">Q Chip Ltd, a specialist in sustained release injectable depot drug formulations, has announced that it has reached the £2 million first close of a planned £3 million funding round. </p><p>The money will be invested in scaling-up its Q-Sphera technology to meet Good Manufacturing Practice standards for the production and manufacture of its sustained release peptide and protein therapeutics. This will allow the company to increase levels of production to support the preclinical development of its Q-Leuprolide and Q-Octreotide depots, as well as partnered projects. </p><p>The financing was led by both new and existing shareholders, Curzon Park Capitol and Finance Wales. Q-Chip has now raised £7.5 million to date. </p><p>Ken Powell, Q Chip’s Executive Chairman, said, “The successful closure of this financing round in these challenging economic times demonstrates investor confidence in Q Chip’s technology and the compelling advantages it offers to the biopharmaceutical industry.</p><p>“With this funding in hand, Q Chip is now able to establish manufacturing capability, a major milestone for our programmes. It will also allow the development of a pipeline of partnered programmes.”</p></div>
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Wed, 15 Sep 2010 19:00:00 +0000Anonymous43373 at https://sciencebusiness.netStabilitech signs $4M contract with US Defense Threat Reduction Agencyhttps://sciencebusiness.net/news/67892/Stabilitech-signs-%244M-contract-with-US-Defense-Threat-Reduction-Agency
<span property="schema:name" class="field-wrapper">Stabilitech signs $4M contract with US Defense Threat Reduction Agency</span>
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<span class="field-item"><a href="https://sciencebusiness.net/author/sciencebusiness-reporting" hreflang="en">Science|Business reporting</a></span></div>
<span class="field-wrapper" rel="schema:author"><span lang="" typeof="schema:Person" property="schema:name" datatype="" xml:lang="">Anonymous</span></span>
<span property="schema:dateCreated" content="2010-08-25T19:00:00+00:00" class="field-wrapper">25 Aug 2010</span>
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<div property="schema:text" class="field-item"><h4 style="color: rgb(255, 165, 0);">Funding</h4><p style="font-weight: bold;">Stabilitech Ltd, which specialises in technology for stabilising protein-based drugs and vaccines, has signed a $4 million contract with the US Defense Threat Reduction Agency (DTRA) to work on stabilising two biodefense vaccines using the company’s vaccine stabilisation technology. </p><p>London-based Stabilitech will apply its proprietary formulation principles to stabilise an adenovirus-vectored and an adjuvanted vaccine. The two are being developed for potential use against a key bacterial pathogen target. </p><p>The goal of the DTRA is to find technologies that will successfully allow the stockpiling of key biodefense vaccines, protecting vaccines against both heat and freeze damage and allowing them to be stored at ambient temperatures.</p><p>Barbara Domayne-Hayman, Stabilitech’s CEO, said, “We are very pleased to have been selected by DTRA to work on these key projects for the US Department of Defense. We believe the work will demonstrate the broad applicability of our stabilisation technology and enable the DTRA to achieve its goals for these important biodefense vaccines. In addition, this non-dilutive funding is important as Stabilitech continues to grow.”</p></div>
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Wed, 25 Aug 2010 19:00:00 +0000Anonymous43219 at https://sciencebusiness.netBasel: a tuneable peptidic amphiphile-system for drug deliveryhttps://sciencebusiness.net/news/67886/Basel%3A-a-tuneable-peptidic-amphiphile-system-for-drug-delivery
<span property="schema:name" class="field-wrapper">Basel: a tuneable peptidic amphiphile-system for drug delivery</span>
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<span class="field-item"><a href="https://sciencebusiness.net/author/sciencebusiness-reporting" hreflang="en">Science|Business reporting</a></span></div>
<span class="field-wrapper" rel="schema:author"><span lang="" typeof="schema:Person" property="schema:name" datatype="" xml:lang="">Anonymous</span></span>
<span property="schema:dateCreated" content="2010-08-25T19:00:00+00:00" class="field-wrapper">25 Aug 2010</span>
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<div property="schema:text" class="field-item"><h4 style="color: rgb(255, 165, 0);">Licensing opportunity</h4><p style="font-weight: bold;">Scientists at Basel University have designed a highly-tunable amphiphilic peptide system, inspired by the repetitive L-Trp-D-Leu sequence of the antibiotic gramicidin A. Peptides in this system reversibly self-assemble in aqueous media into nanostructures, the size and shape of which can be precisely tailored by specific modifications to the primary sequence of the peptide. Properties such as pH-dependence or labels can easily be introduced and adapted to external needs.</p><p>In the case of microspheres formed in this way, large amounts of hydrophobic and/or hydrophilic molecules can be encapsulated and concentrated within the microspheres during their formation. Experiments with dyes, hydrophilic and hydrophobic drugs, gold nanoparticles, as well as siRNA, has proved the ability to encapsulate and co-encapsulate of such payloads. Preliminary experiments with human cancer cells show uptake of the microspheres into the cells, with subsequent release of the encapsulated molecules.</p><p>Advantages include the flexibility of the system, which makes it easy to control size and shape, the ability to co-encapsulate hydrophilic and hydrophobic molecules, the protection of these molecules in solid microspheres with the capacity to withstand lyophilisation, storage and re-dispersion. And since the amino acids within the peptides are naturally occurring, it is assumed they can be biodegraded to prevent accumulation in tissue.</p><p>The scientists say the peptides will be ideal candidates for applications in the field of drug encapsulation and delivery. In addition, the tunable nanostructures could serve as scaffolds for bone replacement, with or without a payload. </p></div>
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Wed, 25 Aug 2010 19:00:00 +0000Anonymous43213 at https://sciencebusiness.netPantec raises CHF20M for further development of transdermal patcheshttps://sciencebusiness.net/news/67936/Pantec-raises-CHF20M-for-further-development-of-transdermal-patches
<span property="schema:name" class="field-wrapper">Pantec raises CHF20M for further development of transdermal patches</span>
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<span class="field-item"><a href="https://sciencebusiness.net/author/sciencebusiness-reporting" hreflang="en">Science|Business reporting</a></span></div>
<span class="field-wrapper" rel="schema:author"><span lang="" typeof="schema:Person" property="schema:name" datatype="" xml:lang="">Anonymous</span></span>
<span property="schema:dateCreated" content="2010-07-21T19:00:00+00:00" class="field-wrapper">21 Jul 2010</span>
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<div property="schema:text" class="field-item"><h4 style="color: rgb(255, 165, 0);">Funding</h4><p style="font-weight: bold;">Pantec Biosolutions AG, a privately-owned company developing new methods for transdermal drug delivery, has announced the closing of a CHF 20 million (€14.7 Million) investment, with StemCell Holding AG, an Austrian investment company, acting as lead investor. No further terms were disclosed.</p><p>The money raised in this financing round will be used to drive the development of P.L.E.A.S.E. IVF, the company’s proprietary transdermal hormone patch product and its P.L.E.A.S.E. Painless Laser Epidermal System, for dermatology applications. </p><p>Christof Boehler, CEO of Pantec Biosolutions, said, “We are delighted that our new investor StemCell Holding has shown such a solid commitment to Pantec and our vision for the future of needle-free <span style="font-style: italic;">in vitro</span> fertilisation treatment.”</p><p>Pantec’s patches use laser microporation technology to deliver large molecular weight drugs into the skin, for local or systemic uptake. The P.L.E.A.S.E. Painless Laser Epidermal System platform enables efficient, needle-free and painless administration of biopharmaceutical drugs, in varying and individualised dosages.</p><p>The technology is currently in clinical trials for the delivery of IVF hormone therapy, a market with an estimated value of $1.5–$2 billion.</p></div>
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Wed, 21 Jul 2010 19:00:00 +0000Anonymous43315 at https://sciencebusiness.netOxford: Carbopol as an adjuvanthttps://sciencebusiness.net/news/67953/Oxford%3A-Carbopol-as-an-adjuvant
<span property="schema:name" class="field-wrapper">Oxford: Carbopol as an adjuvant</span>
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By
<span class="field-item"><a href="https://sciencebusiness.net/author/sciencebusiness-reporting" hreflang="en">Science|Business reporting</a></span></div>
<span class="field-wrapper" rel="schema:author"><span lang="" typeof="schema:Person" property="schema:name" datatype="" xml:lang="">Anonymous</span></span>
<span property="schema:dateCreated" content="2010-07-14T19:00:00+00:00" class="field-wrapper">14 Jul 2010</span>
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<div property="schema:text" class="field-item"><h4 style="color: rgb(255, 165, 0);">Licensing opportunity</h4><p style="font-weight: bold;">The synthetic anionic polymer Carbopol has been shown to be an effective adjuvant, able to improve immune responses to HIV and influenza antigens.</p><p>Carbopol is a synthetic anionic polymer which is used in man for a variety of topical and drug delivery purposes. Now researchers at Oxford University have discovered carbopol also has potent adjuvant properties when administered systemically in mice, with high titre antigen-specific antibody responses, strong helper T-cell responses, and high levels of Th1 cytokines. </p><p>Carbopol was shown to be of equivalent potency to Freund’s Complete adjuvant and more potent than alum in stimulating both B and T cell responses against recombinant soluble HIV-1 envelope glycoprotein. In a lethal influenza challenge model, carbopol mixed with a low dose of influenza HA antigen completely protected mice from disease. Carbopol formulated with killed melanoma cells also delayed tumour growth in mice.</p><p>Other advantages of carbopol include the fact that there is no evidence of local or systemic toxicity, that the antigen can be mixed with the carbopol gel simply by shaking, and that there is no direct interaction with the antigen, so its conformation is maintained. </p><p>Subunit vaccines, containing recombinant or purified antigens, have generally sub-optimal immunogenicity in the absence of adjuvant. Antigens which contain neutralising epitopes that are highly conformational will require adjuvants which maintain these crucial antigenic structures. The researchers say carbopol could provide an effective way to do this.</p><p>This work is the subject of patent application covering the use of Carbapol as an adjuvant, and Isis, the technology transfer arm of Oxford University, would like to talk to companies interested in developing the commercial opportunity that this represents.</p></div>
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Wed, 14 Jul 2010 19:00:00 +0000Anonymous43244 at https://sciencebusiness.netUK’s Biocompatibles awarded &euro;6.2M grant by Dutch government for heart diseasehttps://sciencebusiness.net/news/68286/UK%E2%80%99s-Biocompatibles-awarded-%26euro%3B6.2M-grant-by-Dutch-government-for-heart-disease
<span property="schema:name" class="field-wrapper">UK’s Biocompatibles awarded &euro;6.2M grant by Dutch government for heart disease</span>
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<span class="field-item"><a href="https://sciencebusiness.net/author/sciencebusiness-reporting" hreflang="en">Science|Business reporting</a></span></div>
<span class="field-wrapper" rel="schema:author"><span lang="" typeof="schema:Person" property="schema:name" datatype="" xml:lang="">Anonymous</span></span>
<span property="schema:dateCreated" content="2010-03-31T19:00:00+00:00" class="field-wrapper">31 Mar 2010</span>
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<div property="schema:text" class="field-item"><h4 style="color: rgb(255, 165, 0);">Grant</h4><p style="font-weight: bold;">The UK company Biocompatibles International has been awarded a €6.2 million grant for the development of its CellBeads drug delivery technology in the treatment of cardiovascular diseases by the BioMedical Materials programme (BMM), a public-private partnership subsidised by the Dutch government. </p><p>The project was one of seven selected by BMM’s joint international scientific advisory Board. The grant will support a collaboration between the four partners, the Molecular Cardiology Laboratory at the Erasmus Medical Centre, Rotterdam; the University Medical Centre, Utrecht; CellMed, the Biocompatibles’ subsidiary which developed CellBeads; and Biocompatibles UK, which designed the cardiovascular programmes.</p><p>The four will now go ahead with preclinical development of CellBeads in both acute myocardial infarction (heart attack), and congestive heart failure, to determine optimal dose and optimal technique of bead delivery; long-term cell viability; safety; bead distribution measured by imaging; and evaluation of additional cardioprotective therapeutic proteins. The project should advance the technology to the point that the first clinical trials can commence.</p><p>The principal investigator for the CellBead project, Henricus Duckers of the Erasmus Medical Centre, said, “The use of the CellBeads technology has great potential for the treatment of patients suffering from an acute myocardial infarction or congestive heart failure, due to the expression of potent cardioprotective factors over a sustained period of time. The administration of the CellBeads, as an off-the-shelf product, immediately following a [heart attack] and the retention of significant numbers of encapsulated stem cells in the infarct zone, offers a practical treatment regime not currently available from other technologies.”</p><p>Early work has already demonstrated the technical feasibility of the approach and the improvement in cardiac performance that is possible.</p><p>This grant builds upon the award of a UK Medical Research Council grant within the Cardiovascular Biology Group at Manchester University and UK Technology Strategy Board funding at the Bristol Heart Institute, both aimed at evaluating CellBead technology in cardiovascular applications.</p></div>
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Wed, 31 Mar 2010 19:00:00 +0000Anonymous43149 at https://sciencebusiness.netGlide raises &pound;2.7M for needle-free injection devicehttps://sciencebusiness.net/news/68435/Glide-raises-%26pound%3B2.7M-for-needle-free-injection-device
<span property="schema:name" class="field-wrapper">Glide raises &pound;2.7M for needle-free injection device</span>
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<span class="field-item"><a href="https://sciencebusiness.net/author/sciencebusiness-reporting" hreflang="en">Science|Business reporting</a></span></div>
<span class="field-wrapper" rel="schema:author"><span lang="" typeof="schema:Person" property="schema:name" datatype="" xml:lang="">Anonymous</span></span>
<span property="schema:dateCreated" content="2010-02-17T19:00:00+00:00" class="field-wrapper">17 Feb 2010</span>
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<div property="schema:text" class="field-item"><h4 style="color: rgb(255, 165, 0);">Funding</h4><p style="font-weight: bold;">Glide Pharma Ltd, which is developing a device for the needle-free administration of solid dose therapeutics and vaccines, has completed an oversubscribed £2.7 million fundraising. </p><p>The round was supported by existing institutional and private investors, including Hygea VCT and Oxford Technology VCTs. Glide has now raised a total of £10 million in four rounds of private funding.</p><p>The money will be used for clinical development and to continue scale-up of its commercial manufacturing process. </p><p>The investment follows a recent proof-of-concept study of Glide’s solid dose injector, the Glide SDI. The clinical study, conducted in 18 subjects with a solid dose formulation of the analgesic fentanyl, confirmed that the Glide SDI can safely and quickly deliver accurate doses into the systemic circulation, demonstrating the potential of the Glide technology in the $2 billion per annum breakthrough pain market. Throughout the study, administration with the needle-free Glide SDI avoided the bruising and bleeding associated with needle and syringe delivery. </p><p>“The completion of this oversubscribed fundraising is a clear demonstration of our investors’ confidence in the Glide technology and the advantages it can offer both patients and our partners in the pharmaceutical industry,” said Charles Potter, Glide Pharma’s CEO. </p><p>The Glide SDI is a reusable injection device, which uses a spring mechanism to rapidly administer medicines in the form of a tiny granule supplied in a pre-filled disposable cassette, below the patient’s skin where it dissolves and enters the circulation. </p><p>The one-click action, pen-sized device is easy to use, making it ideal for self-administration. In clinical testing, volunteers strongly preferred the Glide SDI to the traditional needle and syringe. Additionally, Glide solid dose formulations offer the potential to improve the stability and modify the release of medicines into the bloodstream, avoid the need to reconstitute dried formulations and eliminate the risk of needle-stick injuries.</p></div>
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Wed, 17 Feb 2010 19:00:00 +0000Anonymous42549 at https://sciencebusiness.netIntercell gets &euro;33.6M upfront in vaccines alliance with Glaxohttps://sciencebusiness.net/news/68605/Intercell-gets-%26euro%3B33.6M-upfront-in-vaccines-alliance-with-Glaxo
<span property="schema:name" class="field-wrapper">Intercell gets &euro;33.6M upfront in vaccines alliance with Glaxo</span>
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<span class="field-item"><a href="https://sciencebusiness.net/author/sciencebusiness-reporting" hreflang="en">Science|Business reporting</a></span></div>
<span class="field-wrapper" rel="schema:author"><span lang="" typeof="schema:Person" property="schema:name" datatype="" xml:lang="">Anonymous</span></span>
<span property="schema:dateCreated" content="2009-12-16T19:00:00+00:00" class="field-wrapper">16 Dec 2009</span>
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<div property="schema:text" class="field-item"><h4 style="color: rgb(255, 165, 0);">Collaboration</h4><p style="font-weight: bold;">Vaccines developer Intercell has formed an alliance with GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) to accelerate the development and commercialisation of needle-free, patch-based vaccines. The agreement covers the Vienna-based company’s vaccine for travellers’ diarrhoea and a single application pandemic influenza vaccine, plus the use of the patch technology for other vaccines in GSK’s portfolio. </p><p>GSK will pay €33.6 million upfront and make an equity investment of up to €84 million in Intercell. “This new partnership is combining the forces of Intercell’s innovative needle-free vaccination programme and technologies with [GSK’s] strength in development and commercialisation. In addition, we can pursue our business strategy of creating significant shareholder value as an independent company whilst continuing to develop one of the most innovative product pipelines in the industry,” said Gerd Zettlmeissl, Chief Executive Officer of Intercell.</p><p>“This novel technology has real potential to change the way vaccines are delivered in the future. GSK has an extensive portfolio of vaccines and we believe needle-free vaccination could offer benefits such as simplified administration and increased compliance,” said Jean Stephenne, President of GSK Biologicals. </p><p>The Intercell vaccine patch can both enhance the effect of vaccines that are injected currently and be used to develop new vaccines which require transcutaneous administration. </p><p>In studies, the patch has been shown to boost cellular immunity to a diverse range of antigens, and to stimulate both B-cell and T-cell responses. It contains the heat labile enterotoxin from <span style="font-style: italic;">E. coli</span>, one of the most potent stimulators of the immune system.</p></div>
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Wed, 16 Dec 2009 19:00:00 +0000Anonymous42636 at https://sciencebusiness.net